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Sunday, 9 November 2014

Suit you, sir!

Some satisfying decorating milestones were reached this week. I rollered over the last of the dirty finger print ladened lavender coloured paint that graced the hall ways, and, I finished painting the spindles. Hurrah. The job is a long way from done (chipped paint all over the upstairs woodwork quickly gives the game away that time and energy needs to be found for a lot more decorating TLC) it all looks a whole lot fresher around here. And the colour of the walls now? Jurassic Stone. I love the names they give paint.

A sewing milestone was also reached. I've gone and made something for the men in my life! Pass the smug cake, please, for I now have a finished anniversary present for my husband, with over a month to spare. His is the tie on the left (and, if he knows what's good for him, it'll become one of the ties he reaches for regularly).

The other one is for my step Dad - and I know he'll wear his with pride. I made his one first - using a kit from Sew Over It. I hadn't planned to make the ties from a kit. But, when on a special trip to Liberty to buy the tana lawn for the ties, I noticed they had kits, and thought I'd give it a whirl for the first tie, and use it as a template for the second.

Like lots of people, I am sure, I got the inspiration for making ties from watching the Sewing Bee. Remember poor Chinelo crying over the instructions? She should have used a Sew Over It kit - mine came together nicely, he, he. That said, I am pretty sure this method is a lot simpler than the one they used for the programme. Maybe I'll graduate to the more complicated version if I make more, but I think these do the job for now.

My two top tips if you make a tie would be to use a rotary cutter, quilters' ruler and mat for cutting out, and, to run your thread through beeswax for a tangle free hand sewing experience (there is a lot of hand sewing involved). I sat and sewed these two ties whilst round at my friend Amanda's sewing night yesterday. Hand sewing is not remotely boring to do when you're chatting away to your friends - the simplicity of the task meant I could chat and sew, and still finish by the end of the night. Very pleasing, as you can imagine...

Did you catch a glimpse of something else in the hall way? The Middle Girl was twirling around in the chiffon that the postman bought the other day. No prizes for guessing what has been requested for her - and the Littlest Big Girl's - mummy made Christmas present this year.

Luckily for me, the day after the conversation (in which I somehow managed to promise to make an Elsa ice queen and a young Anna outfit), my sewing magazine came through the post, complete with a free pattern on it. It's as though the clever peeps at Love Sewing know there is a massive Frozen craze going on at the moment. I've followed their recommendations, and bought the fabrics from Minerva. All looks good to me. Let's see if my sewing lives up to the (very high) expectations of my children...

...but judging by how much fun was had prancing and twirling in the fabric as it arrived (and how reluctantly it was given up and put back into the bag) I am half tempted not to bother doing anything else!

Are you sewing any gifts for Christmas this year?

To avoid stress and general loathing of sewing in the run up to Christmas, I will stick to my self-imposed only sewing one thing for each daughter rule. Two are on the way, now, Charlotte might just get a hand made stocking, and as for the Biggest Girl, well she needs to hurry up and get her order in,.!

Beautifully made ties... love the floral with the dotty fabric peeping through! Oh my, you have Christmas making plans and have already purchased the necessary! Most impressed. I will be making those plans this week - though pretty sure no frozen outfits to be made, sadly

I love the ties! I may have to get a kit to try it out! My Christmas orders are one adult apron, one childs apron (I have sewing with oil cloth so wish me luck!), one mens long nightshirt, and one girls dress - I think I had better get a move on!

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About me

My name is Janet, and I like making things! I live in Bedford and am a mum to four little girls and wife to Mark. To quote one fellow crafty blogger, I'm a home executive and temporarily retired secondary school teacher.

This blog is about the stuff I like to make around a kitchen table - usually my own, but also in the company of friends when we meet at each other's houses to sew.